Up to $1B in opioid settlement money is starting to flow into NM. How will the government use it? – By Olivier Uyttebrouck (Albuquerque Journal) / June 17, 2023
A$500 million settlement with Walgreens announced last week effectively ends a massive lawsuit New Mexico’s state government filed in 2017 against companies that made and sold addictive narcotic painkillers in New Mexico.
The settlement is the final — and largest — of about a dozen settlements New Mexico has negotiated with companies that retail, manufacture or distribute prescription opioids. The settlements collectively are expected to bring up to $1 billion to the state to repair the damaged caused by the opioid crisis.
The work of attorneys is largely finished, but the job is just beginning for politicians and policymakers who now must decide how best to use the money to combat the legacy of addiction and death.
